President Obama said Tuesday that “now’s the time” for immigration reform, using an address in Las Vegas to try and energize renewed talks in Congress toward comprehensive legislation.

“I’m here today because the time has come for common-sense comprehensive immigration reform,” Obama said.

The president, setting out to achieve an immigration overhaul where many before him have failed, was running into trouble even before he gave his address. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of four Republican senators involved in a bipartisan effort to craft immigration legislation, earlier in the day blasted Obama for opposing a requirement to shore up border security before legalizing up to 11 million illegal immigrants.

Obama’s speech, and a separate fact sheet handed out by the White House, made clear that the administration does not want to link the path to citizenship to border enforcement.

The president said Tuesday that in order for immigration reform to work, “It must be clear from the outset that there is a pathway to citizenship.”

The comment, albeit subtle, was an apparent reference to a provision in the Senate blueprint that would not let illegal immigrants seek citizenship until border security is strengthened. Obama said that his conditions would only involve the illegal immigrants themselves — he said that they would have to submit to a background check, pay back taxes and fines, learn English and get in the back of the line in order to apply.

The president described his plan as “earned citizenship.”

In other words, the President wants a faster path for illegal immigrants to become citizens. Senator Marco Rubio won’t be going along with that plan though.

But the most problematic objection so far has come from Rubio — a prominent Hispanic conservative who is vital to the bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill.

Speaking on Fox News on Tuesday, Rubio insisted that illegal immigrants not be allowed to obtain green cards — let alone citizenship — “until the enforcement stuff is in place.”

“I think that would be a terrible mistake,” Rubio told Fox News. “We have a bipartisan group of senators that have agreed to that. For the president to try to move the goalposts on that specific requirement, as an example, does not bode well in terms of what his role’s going to be in this or the outcome.”

He said: “If that’s not in the bill, I won’t support it.”

Rubio is doing the right thing and if the enforcement provisions are in the bill, Rubio will be well on his way to clinching the GOP nomination. Though, I think that is close to certain already. The Senate plan, is not bad if the enforcement mechanisms are in place.

Cruz pilloried Emanuel’s gun-control efforts and invited executives to consider the warmer, friendlier climes of the Lone Star State in a Tuesday letter to the CEOs of Bank of America, TD Bank, Sturm & Ruger, and Smith & Wesson.

Emanuel pressured banks to stop extending lines of credit to firearms manufactures in a letter sent Friday.

Cruz responded that such actions “call into doubt the claims of President Barack Obama and Washington Democrats that they do not seek to strip Americans of our Second Amendment rights.”

You may be understandably concerned that there are risks to refusing to comply with the demands of a politician who has earned the nickname, “The Godfather.”

In Texas, we have a more modest view of government.

We do not accept the notion that government officials should behave as bullies, trying to harass or pressure private companies into enlisting in a political lobbying campaign. And we subscribe to the notion, quaint in some quarters, that private companies don’t work for elected officials; elected officials work for private citizens.

In light of the reception you have received in the Windy City, please know that Texas would certainly welcome more of your business and the jobs you create. Texas value jobs and value freedom, and over 1000 people a day are moving to Texas (often from cities like Chicago), because Texas is where the jobs are.

Cruz also thanked the firearms manufacturers for their commitment to the Second Amendment and wrote that he would be “happy to personally introduce” firearm manufacturer executives to leaders of Texas financial institutions, should they wish to relocate.

Cruz also noted that Chicago was recently forced to pay more than $1.1. million in legal fees “due to your unsuccessful assault on the Second Amendment.”

“Your continued anti-gun crusade may well cause some to wonder if the interests of the citizens of Chicago are being sacrificed in pursuit of a partisan agenda,” Cruz wrote.

“Regardless, directing your attack at legitimate firearms manufacturers undermines the Second Amendment rights of millions of Texans,” Cruz concluded. “In the future, I would ask that you might keep your efforts to diminish the Bill of Rights north of the Red River.”

Cruz seems to be wanting to make his mark in Washington and right now he doesn’t care who is in the line of fire. I like it. In fact, I see a little bit of that Greg Abbott fire with Sen. Ted Cruz. So far, Cruz is doing everything he needs to do to become that fighter for conservatives while becoming a well-known figure.

The FDA has approved getting the morning-after pill out of a vending machine. No, seriously. You can by Plan B now from a vending machine. Just like a candy bar.

The Food and Drug Administration decided not to intervene following a “politically motivated uproar” over the vending machine Shippensburg University installed in its nurses’ office.

FDA looked at publicly available information about Shippenburg State’s vending program and spoke with university and campus health officials and decided not to take any regulatory actions, the FDA said.

Students at the university can obtain Plan B without waiting for an appointment by depositing $25 in the machine.

Plan B is available without a prescription to women 17 and older. The university doesn’t have any students younger than 17, so it’s not in danger of violating FDA prescribing rules, a report about the move inThinkProgress said.

Plan B is a controversial medication, as many conservatives believe it causes abortion. Many liberals, on the other hand, were upset when the FDA — under orders from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius — declined to make it available without a prescription to women younger than 17.

These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.

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